Diabla's first search

Catu · 01-22-2013, 09:14 AM

Because of a long story I was in Santiago with both dogs when our team received a call to search a lost Argentinian man lost in the mountains of Cochiguaz, about 500 km from -Santiago in the north of Chile, after going to a walk that wasn't suppossed to take more than 2 hours.

We arrived Tuesday night, 3 canine teams, 3 back-up volunteers and a coordinator and supported the search efforts from Wednesday to Sunday, with the exception of Friday, when we gave the dogs a rest, specially because the volcanic terrain hurt even the toughest paws and took the day to move our camp closer to the search site.

The terrain was very abrupt and the places where the dogs teams had access and could actually work were limited, so we talked to the IC and the family and decided to return, even when the young man is still missing. Police and mountain teams are still looking on the cliffs and crevices with ropes, if the person decided to keep climbing beyond the original area and there is even a chance he actually returned to camp, but something happened after...

Some pictures

Checking paws

About 10,500 feet above sea.

My two girls. Auka, who I started training and left with the team when I moved, who keeps working with another handler and Diabla.

More pictures here: http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...uaz/?start=all

DinoBlue · 01-22-2013, 09:17 AM

Way to go Catu and Diabla!!

That is some very nasty terraine you had to work in.

elisabeth_00117 · 01-22-2013, 09:52 AM

Wow - great job to everyone involved...

**jocoyn** · 01-22-2013, 10:20 AM

That is some seriously rough terrain, wow!

RowdyDogs · 01-22-2013, 11:58 AM

Awesome! Diabla looks like a trooper climbing those rocks!

Catu · 01-22-2013, 10:55 PM

The first picture is quite impressive, but obviously we were not searching there, only salving the obstacle to be able to return to camp for a place safer than the ravine we searched up. Diabla is more concerned about where she puts her feet than about scenting anything there... as we did

Diabla worked very good, specially on the riverbanks, where the denser vegetation are more like the forest we are more used to work on. The first day her white nail (yes, pigmentation IS important) broke and after it she needed a boot to work more comfortable. We are both a bit stiff yet, but nothing than oversleeping doesn't fix

**ladylaw203** · 01-23-2013, 08:28 AM

Wow. My nose would have been bleeding

. Do they have helo there with FLIR?

Catu · 01-23-2013, 11:01 AM

Nop, no helo, everything on foot for us.

That is why we had to move the camp and headquarters up the second day. I know helos with FLIR overfled the mountain the first days and our team has a FLIR camera that was used by the land teams.

Unless the son a senator is missing it's very rare you'll get air support, and the reason I always insist that the dogs need to be trained to work not only from the car or crate to the search area, but even after hours of hiking.

01-22-2013, 09:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
Catu Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Valdivia, Chile Posts: 4,541	Diabla's first search Because of a long story I was in Santiago with both dogs when our team received a call to search a lost Argentinian man lost in the mountains of Cochiguaz, about 500 km from -Santiago in the north of Chile, after going to a walk that wasn't suppossed to take more than 2 hours. We arrived Tuesday night, 3 canine teams, 3 back-up volunteers and a coordinator and supported the search efforts from Wednesday to Sunday, with the exception of Friday, when we gave the dogs a rest, specially because the volcanic terrain hurt even the toughest paws and took the day to move our camp closer to the search site. The terrain was very abrupt and the places where the dogs teams had access and could actually work were limited, so we talked to the IC and the family and decided to return, even when the young man is still missing. Police and mountain teams are still looking on the cliffs and crevices with ropes, if the person decided to keep climbing beyond the original area and there is even a chance he actually returned to camp, but something happened after... Some pictures Checking paws About 10,500 feet above sea. My two girls. Auka, who I started training and left with the team when I moved, who keeps working with another handler and Diabla. More pictures here: http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...uaz/?start=all __________________ Diabla, my Daemon; SchH A, RH-T A Akela, my Direwolf; IPO-A1 Last edited by Catu; 01-22-2013 at 09:16 AM.

01-22-2013, 09:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
DinoBlue Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Washington D.C. Posts: 1,552	Way to go Catu and Diabla!! That is some very nasty terraine you had to work in. __________________ ~Charlotte~ Eyra v Wildhaus, SchHII, SAR D'Artagnan, SchHI, TR2 Olek Maxwell Brown ~

01-22-2013, 09:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
elisabeth_00117 Crowned Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 8,338	Wow - great job to everyone involved... __________________ Battleborn Hundesport K-W German Shepherd Club

01-22-2013, 10:20 AM	#4 (permalink)
jocoyn Zombie Queen Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 11,891	That is some seriously rough terrain, wow! __________________ Nancy www.scsarda.org Beau -NAPWDA Certified Cadaver Dog Waiting at the Bridge (italics=GSDs) (hemangiosarcoma=blue):Grim , Cyra, Toby, Rainbow, Linus, Oscar, Arlo & Waggles

01-22-2013, 11:58 AM	#5 (permalink)
RowdyDogs Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 450	Awesome! Diabla looks like a trooper climbing those rocks! __________________ The rowdy dogs: Hector-2 y/o GSD (mix?) rescue Scooter-12 y/o ACD/Border Collie mix Bandit-8 y/o ACD Wooby-14 y/o ACD Abutiu "Abi"-ACD puppy and hopeful future SAR dog!

01-22-2013, 10:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
Catu Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Valdivia, Chile Posts: 4,541	The first picture is quite impressive, but obviously we were not searching there, only salving the obstacle to be able to return to camp for a place safer than the ravine we searched up. Diabla is more concerned about where she puts her feet than about scenting anything there... as we did Diabla worked very good, specially on the riverbanks, where the denser vegetation are more like the forest we are more used to work on. The first day her white nail (yes, pigmentation IS important) broke and after it she needed a boot to work more comfortable. We are both a bit stiff yet, but nothing than oversleeping doesn't fix __________________ Diabla, my Daemon; SchH A, RH-T A Akela, my Direwolf; IPO-A1

01-23-2013, 08:28 AM	#7 (permalink)
ladylaw203 Moderator Join Date: May 2001 Location: Beaumont,Texas Posts: 4,911	Wow. My nose would have been bleeding. Do they have helo there with FLIR? __________________ Renee Utley Port Authority Police KaroSkocickaSamotaZM,ZOP,ZPU,FPR,FPR,ZVV1,ZZZ,ZZP, RHE,ZM TART, IRO titled SAR dog ZVV1 Gabbi Mariko Bohemia ZVV1 Jessy Vikar www.nndda.org, Certifying official

01-23-2013, 11:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Catu Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Valdivia, Chile Posts: 4,541	Nop, no helo, everything on foot for us. That is why we had to move the camp and headquarters up the second day. I know helos with FLIR overfled the mountain the first days and our team has a FLIR camera that was used by the land teams. Unless the son a senator is missing it's very rare you'll get air support, and the reason I always insist that the dogs need to be trained to work not only from the car or crate to the search area, but even after hours of hiking.

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